BBM for Windows Phone coming summer 2014

BBM, BlackBerry's instant-messaging service, will arrive on Windows Phone over the summer, the Canadian company has confirmed, as it tries to further push the app as a cross-platform tool. The app - the Android version of which will also come preloaded on the new Nokia X line of smartphones, also announced today - will support the same functionality as its counterparts on BlackBerry 10, iOS, and Android, including BBM Voice.

There'll also be BBM Groups support, allowing up to 50 people to be added to the same conversation, and sharing photos and schedules with them no matter what phone OS they're using. BBM Channels will be included, along with one-click sharing of photos, documents, voice notes, and other content.

The new emoticons BlackBerry announced recently for its existing versions of BBM will be in the Windows Phone app again.

While BBM was once written off, a recent surge in interest in data-based messaging apps has forced investors to re-examine its worth to BlackBerry. Following Facebook's $19bn acquisition of WhatsApp, BlackBerry's share price climbed as the potential value of each user was recalculated.

BBM for Windows Phone will arrive as a free download sometime this summer.